Big swimbaits, wakebaits and glide baits are a lot of fun to fish with but they can be pretty cumbersome to store. Without a proper container their tails can crimp or bend, ruining their actions and profiles. Rust, corrosion and scuffed up paint jobs from improper storage raise concerns as well. Fortunately, we have found ways to keep these high-dollar baits safe and in good working condition. Let’s dive in to some big bait storage ideas.
ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT
The most affordable way to store these big baits is to simply keep them in their original packaging. The plastic trays that come with the Berkley CullShad swimbaits and SPRO KGB Chad Shad wakebaits are perfect to prevent their tails from bending or being damaged. All the 6th Sense Trace and Draw baits are also shipped in foam cutouts that can be used to store them.
You can keep these baits in their original packaging and pile several of them into a waterproof and rust-inhibiting case like the Flambeau Zerust Max Waterproof Tuff Tainer WP5001ZM. You can also remove the guts from a Cal Coast Fishing Battle Box Tackle Storage System or Flambeau Zerust Max Blade Krate to make a good box for this. Doing this will help the baits keep their true form and ensure they are safe from water and sunlight.
CUSTOM BOXES FOR GLIDEBAITS
You can make your own custom big bait storage boxes yourself. Just lay whatever lure you want to store on top of a foam block and trace the outline. Then, carefully take a box cutter and set the blade to cut down to about an inch deep. Cut the outline out and then slice the material that’s on the inside of the outline into little squares. You should be able to pluck these squares out and be left with a cavity where you can stick your bait.
Additionally, Sixth Sense makes a couple pretty cool Bait Chambers with foam cavities, specifically designed to hold four of their Trace swimbaits or two 9” Draw Glide Baits. You could probably slide a select few other big baits into these slots and store them pretty well but the cutouts in these boxes match the profiles of these particular baits perfectly.
COVER YOUR SWIMBAIT
Similarly to how you can use the original packaging to help store big baits, there are also a few covers that work well for this. Although these are actually designed to go over lures while they are rigged on rods so that they don’t hang on others or hook an angler, they are also great for wrapping big baits and then storing them in waterproof boxes. Take the Bait Covers from 6th Sense and the SPRO x Surrpa Lure Holders as a few examples.
Some baits will still slide around inside the covers, which runs the risk of bending their tails. If you lay them flat in a box and stack them like flapjacks, they do a good job of keeping the baits straight. They are a little less bulky than the original packaging, meaning you can usually store a few more baits in one box with these.
MAKE A (SWIMBAIT) DEPOSIT
The most impressive system I have seen so far comes from Lakewood Products. They make three cases for storing oversized baits: the Lakewood Swimbait Deposit Box and two sizes of the Lakewood Swimbait Hanger Tackle Boxes. I’ve been testing the Deposit Box.
The Deposit Box uses little removable rods with hook hangers to store big baits. Its walls and dividers are made from a durable ABS material and the whole box is wrapped with a layer of durable, foam-lined polyester material. If the box is zipped, the buoyancy of the liner will actually float the box—even when loaded with baits. The bottom is covered in a mesh material so that the baits can be stored wet while still able to dry in the box.
Though I’d usually prefer a waterproof box, I like this just fine. Since it has the highest dollar baits I own in it, this box never stays in the boat for long and is one I carry inside every night. So there’s no risk of rust or corrosion from the open-ended box being stuck in a damp rod locker for several days.
It’s worth noting that this is the most expensive way of storing big baits that I’ve tested, with the Deposit Box priced at $135 and the larger Swimbait Hangers priced at $250 and $300.
The price alone would rule out this box for most anglers. However, if you like big baits—and expensive ones in particular—it’s not a bad value. I’ve been fishing the Clutch Wake Gill a lot lately. This bait costs $150. You could store eight of them in the Deposit Box. That’s $1,200 in baits. So, a box that costs about 10% of what its contents do could be considered a good deal by the angler who wants to protect his investment.
JUST WRAP IT UP
Whether you decide to go the more expensive route with a bait specific box like the Lakewood Deposit Box or Swimbait Hanger, or you opt for the more affordable Bait Covers or SPRO Surrpas, protecting your investment is imperative. Perhaps the best way to do this (and certainly the most affordable) is to just keep the original packaging of these lures.
No matter what, you’ll want to use a system that keeps the tails of the baits true to their original form. You’ll want to make sure you protect them from rust and banging against each other. These are the main goals. If you’ve got a better system, we’d love to hear about it! If not, hopefully these tips will help you store your big baits more efficiently.
